Not that I’ve needed any more quiet time lately, but for the past couple of days I’ve been away on a different plane of existence. That is, totally away from people. Totally away from society and the busy push-and-grind of my apartment overlooking the hectic Courtland Street/Ottawa Street intersection in Kitchener. My conversations with people,…
Tag: employment
Painting in Black and White: University versus College Education
I hate it when the news paints things in black and white. I admit that I, too, have occasionally presented a one-sided argument and expected the world to accept my ideas without a squeak of protest. I suppose my hope has always been that someone would call me out on my assertions and we would…
Wallflower Syndrome, or: Youth, Know Thyself
This past weekend I was reflecting on my job search strategies and current prospects. After doing some mental gymnastics (mirrored in the furrows of my brow), I turned to my significant other and asked if he thought I was lacking in tangible, real-world skills and this was the reason behind my lack of motivation to…
Rush: Why You Need and Love the Rat Race by Todd Buchholz
Buchholz, Todd. (2011). Rush: Why You Need and Love the Rat Race. Penguin Books Ltd.: New York. You get an immediate impression of this book in the Preface – if you’re the kind of person that reads over a Preface before starting into a book (I do; some might find it to be a bad…
We’re Unemployed Because…..
As I sit down to write this post, I struggle to formulate the words needed to properly frame the three news stories that I am about to present to you. These stories have all been published today – Wednesday, October 30th, 2013 – from the context of three separate countries (Canada, the United Kingdom, and…
A Date with the Career Counselor
Over the past several weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to visit with a career counselor to talk about what makes me tick when it comes to working environment, desired career roles, and personal goals. It’s been exceedingly beneficial for me to step back and look clearly through the haze of competing and contradictory employment-related messages…
A Circuitous Route into Money-Making
Anyone who has used Reddit before probably knows about the extensive and maze-like nature of the internet. It can lead you on crazy, circuitous journeys of exploration and fascination (or just plain hilarity). One site links to other interesting sites, and next thing you know you’ve been glued to your seat and your laptop for way…
Viewpoint: What’s Up with the Certifications?
In some of my previous posts, I have alluded to the high expectations placed on recent graduates in our current economy; they’re expected to have critical thinking skills, as well as a whole host of practical, hands-on abilities. While critical thinking skills can be stimulated through conversations with peers and mentors in university classes, credentials…
A Sentimental Post on a Rainy Evening
Tonight, it’s raining gently outside and the feeling of fall is sharp in the air; it’s just that much cooler, and that much darker by early evening. I have a gin and tonic at my elbow after a great dinner with family – it’s been a wonderful weekend overall, full of travel to see the…
Lost but Not Alone
As I sit and write this post, I’m staring at the wash of first-year undergraduates pouring by the library on the University of Waterloo campus. I find it hard to fathom how many of us there are. Newly-minted university students and graduates are, of course, the subject of many recent news article and public discussion…
Competing Messages: Reflections on the Canadian TODS Program
As indicated in my earlier post on the theme of signs in one’s life, I want to take a moment to reflect on my experience with Tourism-Oriented Directional Signs (TODS), and how this program relates to business and youth entrepreneurship. Like most people, I was oblivious to the underlying processes involved in getting these lovely…
Maria Legault 